NEW ORLEANS, La. -- The University of Pikeville volleyball team split a pair of matches at the Big Easy Blastoff on Friday, blanking Xavier (La.) 3-0 in the opener before falling to Southwest (N.M.) 3-1.

With the split, UPIKE moves to 6-2 overall, while Xavier falls to 2-10 and Southwest moves to 5-1.

The Bears hit .299 as a team to beat Xavier with Kaitlyn Welsh and Savanna Zakman pacing the team with 11 and 10 kills, respectively. The offense struggled though in the Bears' second  match, hitting below .100 with Sydney Hall as the only player in double digits for kills with 13.

UPIKE was successful in the opener due to some impressive serving performances, wrapping up play with 11 aces. Zakman led the way with six, while Welsh and Brooke Moore put down two aces each. Rachel Murphy picked up a match-high 19 digs and Hall tallied two solo blocks.

Against Southwest the Bears weren't nearly as successful, finishing with just three aces, all hit by Moore. Zakman, the team's setter, was the digs leader with 13 while also dishing out 27 assists.

UP NEXT

UPIKE wraps up play in the Big Easy Blastoff on Saturday, taking on William Carey at 10 a.m. ET and Southern at New Orleans at 2 p.m.

-UPIKE-